


Chicken Soup for the Shipper's Soul: Rare Ship Edition

by EzzyDean



Series: Chicken Soup [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: F/M, Gen, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-06
Updated: 2016-03-10
Packaged: 2018-05-25 04:34:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 19,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6180355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EzzyDean/pseuds/EzzyDean
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Chapters and chapters of rare ships for your reading pleasure.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. KageTsukki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I’m sorry but I was told to punch you in the face. I don’t know why but they’re giving me 20$ to do this. If you can make a better offer I won’t do it tho.” AU

“Um, those guys offered me twenty bucks to punch you in the face for some reason.  But if you have a better offer I won’t do it.”

Kei glances up from his phone at the voice, and then glances past him to the group he’s pointing at.  None of them seem really familiar but that doesn’t mean they don’t have reason to want him punched.  He’s sassed, back talked, and verbally ground enough people into dust this past month, hell this past week, that he can’t possibly remember all of them.

The guy in front of him shifts and tilts his head a little as he watches Kei shrug.

“Whatever.”

Dark blue eyes blink at him in confusion.  “You’re not going to offer me something not to hit you?”

“I always figured I’d get punched one day.  I just thought I’d be worth more than twenty bucks.”

“Um.  Okay.”

The punch packs a lot more force than Kei expects it to, not that he shows his surprise while he blinks away tears from the impact, and he wonders if the guy’s fist stings nearly as much as his cheek does.  The guy backs away cautiously like he’s waiting for Kei to retaliate.  Kei has no plans to.  He simply watches the other guy collect his money before turning and leaving the park.  

–

Kuroo, predictably, laughs so hard he nearly wets himself when Kei finally makes it over to his place and tells him what happened.  

By the time Kuroo answered his door Kei’s cheek was actually starting to throb pretty seriously and he just wanted some pain killers and maybe a drink or something.  Digging through the bathroom listening to the music of Kuroo’s wheezing laughter slowly dying down he notes that his cheek is already starting to bruise.

"I’m actually surprised you aren’t more, I dunno, mad?  No… Maybe… Judgy?“  Kuroo says a little later as he passes Kei a plate of food.

“Judgy?”

“Yeah.  Like saying how poor his form was when he punched you or making fun of his face or something.”

Wide blue eyes and a confused scowl pop into his mind.  “There was nothing wrong with his face,” he mutters.  He can feel Kuroo staring at him as he shoves a huge bite of rice into his mouth.  “What?” he demands after he chews slowly and swallows and looks over to see Kuroo still staring at him.

“Oh my god,” Kuroo breathes out in awe, “you are totally crushing on him!”

“Excuse you no I’m not.”

“‘There was nothing wrong with his face,’“ Kuroo mocks and Kei really really hopes he chokes on his rice.  “You’ve totally got a crush.  Normally you’d be ripping into anything from his clothes to his hair to the way he walked.”  Kuroo laughs.  “But instead you’re daydreaming about his face.”

“Why am I friends with you?”

“Shut up I’m the best friend you ever had.”

–

Even if he did keep getting distracted by memories of the guy’s wide blue eyes and adorably confused scowl and the hidden strength behind to his punch and, okay, maybe he had an occasional wandering thought about what kind of things the guy might like to do when not hanging around parks and punching people for twenty bucks, it’s not like he was ever going to see him again or anything.  So he just needed to stop daydreaming and forget about him.  He didn’t even know the guy’s name for crying out loud.

_Quit lingering in the park like a creepy stalker and get your ass over here with my food._

Kei scowls at his phone and wonders, not for the first time, why the hell he was still friends with Kuroo.

_I’m not in the park asshole I’m already past the convenience store._

He doesn’t hear the warning shout, or the running footsteps, or even the surprised squawk that rings out just before someone collides with him.  His phone clatters to the ground and skids away and the bag of take out hits the cement almost the same time his butt does.  He has half a moment to hope that the protective case he bought for his phone is doing it’s job before he hears a familiar voice calling out.

“Dumbass why didn’t you look where you were going?”

“You were the one chasing me stupid,” the voice is muffled and Kei glances down at the warm body in his lap, meeting a pair of sparkling brown eyes under an unruly mop of orange hair.  “Ohmygod,” the guy breathes out and scrambles away, elbowing Kei in the process.  “Shit, Kageyama it’s totally the guy you punched the other day.”

Kei’s gaze snaps up and he meets the startled blue eyes that have been drifting in and out of his mind the last week.  He manages to take in the flush of his cheeks and the way his strong hands reach out and snag the guy out of his lap before they both take off running in the opposite direction.

At least he has a name to comfort him while Kuroo laments the destruction of his supper.  Kei reminds him that it’s still edible and that he doesn’t have to bring Kuroo food on Fridays if he doesn’t like the condition it shows up in.  Kuroo grumbles but eats his food while Kei turns over the name in his head: Kageyama.

–

He may have a crush.  But he is not obsessed.  No matter what Kuroo says or thinks.  He hasn’t done anything like look Kageyama up on the internet and he doesn’t spend his free time wandering the blocks between Kuroo’s apartment and the park hoping to run into him again.  He goes to work.  He visits Kuroo.  He takes a trip back home to visit his parents and brother.  He goes out drinking with Kuroo and Bokuto.

Tsukishima Kei is a fully functioning adult whose life does not revolve around his crush.

No matter how often Kuroo teases him about wanting to punch Kageyama in the lips with his own.

He is an adult.  It doesn’t bother him in the slightest that Kageyama literally takes off running in the opposite direction any time he sees him.

Except it does.  A little.

“No I’m serious.  It’s totally G rating.  It’s all dreams of hand holding and falling asleep on the couch.  Maybe a little PG kissing in the sunset.”

Boukto turns to him with wide eyes and drink flushed cheeks, leaning in far closer than the quiet background noise of the bar requires him to, and whispers loudly in his ear.  “‘S that true Tsukki?”  He slips a little and smushes his nose into Kei’s cheek.  “You got such a pure crush that you don’t even think of anything… you know.”  Bokuto’s eyes drop down towards their laps and he giggles and points downwards.  Kei rolls his eyes and pushes Bokuto towards Kuroo so he can stand.

A surprised gasp hits his ears as the bathroom door shuts behind him and he meets Kageyama’s eyes.  Kageyama looks like he wants to bolt, eyes darting around the small bathroom, but Kei is standing in front of the only exit and he slowly backs away, startling when his back hits the wall.

“I appreciate the fact that you find me so intimidating,” Kei says as he leans against the door with a smirk.  “Though I am curious as to what you think I’m going to do that has you so afraid of me.”

“You’re going to punch me back.”  The answer is immediate and Kageyama sounds so sure that Kei is a little taken aback.

It’s the alcohol that makes him do it - though he hasn’t had that much.  The alcohol and the influence of Kuroo Tetsurou as his best friend.

That’s his story and he’ll stick to it until the day he dies.

He raises an eyebrow and takes a step forward, then two.  Kageyama freezes against the wall, blue eyes wide.  “Now that you mention it, yeah I kind of do want to punch you.”  Kei leans forward and pins Kageyama in, smiling when his eyes scrunch shut.  “I kinda wanna punch your lips with mine.”

It’s cheesy and stupid and he should never let Kuroo’s words come out of his own mouth.

But it works.  Kageyama’s eyes fly open in surprise and then flutter shut as Kei leans in to kiss him.

–

Kei wishes that Kuroo had never found out about that kiss.  But Tobio is a little shit and happily brings up their first kiss whenever prompted.  Usually because he likes to laugh about how stupid he felt for running away all those times.  It’s really not out of any ill will or interest in seeing Kei get flustered and frustrated.  Sometimes Tobio is too wide eyed and innocent for Kei’s health.

Especially when Kuroo is involved.

“I swear I am going to punch you if you don’t stop, Kuroo,” Kei hisses when Tobio steps away to answer a phone call.

“Please don’t punch me with your mouth, Tsukki.  I love you but not like that.”

“Kuroo.  I will end you.”

Kuroo laughs and shakes his head.  “No you won’t.  I helped you get your boyfriend.”


	2. TanaTsukki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “my friends found a shopping cart on campus and they were pushing me down hills in it and it got out of control and you were just walking by and i hit you im so sorry fuck im stuck in this cart i cant help you up im sorry you’re cute im sorry” au

Like so many other potentially questionable choices in his life this one started when Noya smacked him in the center of the chest and hissed “Ryuu look!” while pointing enthusiastically across the street.  That’s not saying his current predicament is all Noya’s fault.  Because Ryuu was the one who grinned and called dibs on the first ride as they hurried across the empty street - empty because it was 1 AM on a chilly wet morning and most people were tucked in their warm beds - to snag the silver shopping cart from the middle of the empty parking lot across the street from their dorm.

A few more steps without Noya spotting the silver cart glistening under the lamplight and Ryuu wouldn’t be here.  They would have made it to the dorms and trudged up to their room without Ryuu having ever met the honey-gold eyes glaring at him.

He’ll have to remember to thank Noya if he gets out of this alive.

They had taken one turn each in the cart, pushing each other around and giggling like drunken teenagers, when Ryuu had hopped back in it and pointed towards their dorm.

“Onward valiant steed!”  He shouted and Noya gave a battle cry in response as he got a running start and hopped onto the back of the cart.  They got most of the way across the street and Noya hopped off to give enough of a push to pop the cart over the curb.

Then things kind of went to hell in a handbasket.

Noya yelped in surprise when his shoelace caught in one of the wheels just as he popped the cart up and shoved it forward.  Ryuu had enough time to glance over his shoulder and see the shocked look on Noya’s face as his leg jerked forward and he landed on his ass.  Then the cart was rolling forward and Ryuu realized the danger to their non-existent plan: their dorm was at the top of a long hill.  It wasn’t incredibly steep but as the cart tilted forward and the dewy ground started flying past him at what felt like impossible speeds Ryuu was sure he was going to die regardless of how steep it was or wasn’t.

He heard Noya calling his name and then yelling something else in a panicked tone and he glanced up just in time to see someone step in front of the cart’s path.

There was a blur, a sudden stop, the feeling of his stomach trying to climb up his throat and then slamming back down, and then he was meeting the ground in an incredibly awkward position.

Now he’s staring into a pair of angry honey-gold eyes behind black frames and he’s pretty sure he died because those are the eyes of an angel or at least something definitely not of this world.

“What the hell were you doing?”  The guy snaps and reaches up pat at his ears and then run his hand through his hair and it’s then that Ryuu notes the headphones laying on the ground in between them and the fact that the guy is sitting in a puddle of muddy water.  Luckily the headphones landed outside of the puddle.  Ryuu struggles to pull himself out of the cart but his sleeve is stuck and his arm is twisting in some strange angle and if he’s not dead he’ll be lucky to get out of this without having broken anything.

“Let me help you up,” Ryuu blurts out only to flush when the guy raises an eyebrow at him and glances pointedly at the cart he’s still trying to crawl out of.  “Fuck.  I’m stuck.  I’m so sorry.”  The guy stands and grimaces as his pants stick to his ass and legs  “Sorry I ran into you.  Shit.”  He bends to pick his headphones up with a frown that’s dangerously close to a pout for Ryuu’s health.  “You’re cute.”

Ryuu must have hit his head somewhere along the ride because did he really just say that?

His cheeks flush even more and he sees a matching blush crawling across the stranger’s face just before he jerks up and stalks away, wet jeans clinging to muscles that Ryuu could cry over.  Like honest to god those legs were just unfair.

Noya stumbles up, half hopping on one foot, and drops his hands to his knees.

“Holy shit, Ryuu.  That was so wicked!”

Ryuu gives one last glance in the direction the guy had stalked off and then groans as he and Noya untangle him from the cart.

“Let’s not tell Daichi about this,” he mutters as he limps up the hill with Noya on his back and Noya’s shoe hanging from his fingers by the laces.

“Deal.”

 

Daichi sighs when Ryuu hurries into work five minutes late covered in scrapes, bruises, and bandages.

“You’re not getting any sympathy from me and you’re not serving customers looking like that,” Daichi states with a grin on his face.  Daichi’s grins could make anyone start praying for their lives and Ryuu sends up a quick prayer for the second time in less than twenty four hours to whoever is listening that he’ll live through his current situation.  “You’re on trainee duty.  His name’s Tsukishima Kei.”

Ryuu groans and grabs his apron from the hook behind the counter.  “Do I have to?  Can’t I just clean or something?”

“Nope.”  Daichi crosses his arms and stares Ryuu down.  Ryuu lets out another groan and shuffles towards the back room where the trainee is most likely waiting.  Daichi calls him back before he can even get fully inside the back room.  “He’s moving kind of slow today, said someone crashed into him last night, and you look like crap so you guys can do back room training today.”

“Daichi you do care!”  Ryuu shouts and leaps at Daichi who easily steps to the side, catches the back of his shirt, and swings him right back to the door.

“By the time you two are done he better know where everything is, what days we restock, how to do a _proper_ inventory, when we get our shipments in, and where all the paperwork goes.  Not just have a vague idea.  Know.”

Ryuu gives a thumbs up and saunters into the back room whistling as he heads to the small employee locker area.

His breath catches in his throat when he steps around the corner and meets a pair of honey-gold eyes widening behind black frames.  He sees a bandage on the other man’s palm and a small scratch across his cheek and then he’s grinning as he holds out his own bandaged hand.

“Tsukishima Kei?”  The other man lets out a long sigh and nods as he shakes Ryuu’s hand.  “I’m Tanaka Ryuunosuke.  I’m in charge of you today.”

“Should I get the first aid kit now or later?”


	3. TanaKuroTsukki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> you have a pet squirrel and I’m intrigued but also shy so I’m just gonna stare at you until you introduce me to your squirrel

He drops onto the bench of the picnic table and frowns down at his lunch.  It has already been a long day and he can feel the steady pressure of one hell of a headache creeping along his forehead.  He just needs to get through his lunch, a couple more hours of work, and then he’s home free for the weekend.  A weekend he plans on spending as much of as possible in his bed not moving.  He doesn’t care how much Kuroo whines or pouts or threatens him.

Regardless of what he thinks about himself Kuroo Tetsurou can be told no and Tsukishima Kei is more than happy to say it.

His eyes glaze over as he glances around the small park he’s in and he starts eating his lunch.  He has to blink a few times and shake his head a little when he spots the guy.  Because he’s not sure he’s seeing what he thinks he’s seeing.  Maybe that headache is affecting him a bit more than he thought.

He pulls up the camera on his phone a snaps a quick picture of the man sitting on the picnic table - the table not the bench like a normal person - and sends it off to the one person he can think of in his phone that would appreciate this kind of unusual character.  He’s nearing the end of his lunch break when his phone lights up.

_He has a squirrel?  HE HAS A SQUIRREL AND IT IS SITTING ON HIS SHOULDER OMG GO BE FRIENDS WITH HIM._

Kei glances back over and spots the man digging into his bag and chattering away before pulling out a handful of something and holding it up for the squirrel to scrabble for and shove into it’s tiny mouth.

**_Kuroo I am not going over there.  He is talking to it._ **

_Tsukki.  Dude.  Do it.  How many times in your life do you meet a dude with a pet squirrel?_

**_If I’m lucky I will never actually meet him._ **

Kei tosses his garbage in the small can near his picnic table and heads out of the park.  If he’s lucky he’ll make it through the rest of the day without his headache reaching migraine levels.

–

Monday finds him in the park at the picnic table again.  But this time there is no man to be found.  Just the squirrel.  Who is sitting on his table, inches away from his lunch, staring at him.  It’s beady little eyes have a gleam that he’s seen in things like cats just before they leap at him and Kuroo when he has “an amazing idea” and drags him along.

Like this weekend.  Kuroo had left him alone until sometime around four on Saturday.  Then he had burst into Kei’s apartment - his locked apartment that Kuroo magically has a key for even though Kei has never even considered giving him one - and literally pounced onto his bed where he was trying his best to imitate a caterpillar in a cocoon with the intent to drag him out if it was the last thing he did.

He slides his phone out of his pocket and manages to get a picture to send before the squirrel tenses and twitches towards him.

**_KUROO THE SQUIRREL IS STARING AT ME.  IT IS PLOTTING MY DEATH I STG IF IT KILLS ME IT’S ALL YOUR FAULT._ **

The squirrel places it sharp little claws on the edge of Kei’s napkin, eyes never leaving his own until he breaks contact when his phone goes off.

_Maybe it has a crush on you!  Don’t ignore the squirrel’s love Tsukki.  I can share you with it!  
_

**_JFC Kuroo the squirrel is not in love with me_ **

_How do you know did you ask it?_

**_I am not going to talk to the squirrel Kuroo._ **

Kei tries to scoot his lunch a little further away but the squirrel’s bushy tail twitches and it tenses and Kei decides he’d like to keep all his skin on his face without scratches if entirely possible.  Not that he’s afraid of it, no matter what Kuroo says, he’s just… cautious around animals.  Especially animals that are not normally kept as pets.

“Oh my god Peanut there you are!  I was getting worried!”  Kei cringes at the loud voice and glances up to see the guy from Friday hurrying over to his table.  “You shouldn’t run away like that sweetie,” he coos and scoops up the squirrel without hesitation, laughing heartily when it scurries up his arm and settles onto his shoulder.  It tugs on his earlobe a few times until he mutters and digs something out of his pocket and hands it over.

“Peanut?”  Kei finds his voice after a moment and he’s not sure what surprises him most.  “You _named_ it?  You named it _Peanut_?”

That bright grin and those sharp eyes are suddenly turned towards him and Kei thinks he’d almost like to be back under the scrutiny of the squirrel’s beady little eyes.  Because the squirrel didn’t look like he had just made it’s entire week simply by addressing it with sarcasm and the last person to look so thrilled to be in Kei’s company was Kuroo which, well, explains his confusion and wariness.

“Hey!  I’m Tanaka!  Thank you for looking out for my little baby here.”  Kei shakes the offered hand with a confused nod and responds distractedly.

“I’m Tsukishima.”

“Oh man I’m lucky you were here to watch her.  I’m glad too.  She doesn’t get along well with most strangers!”

Tanaka settles himself across the table from Kei without asking and chatters at him the whole time he attempts to eat his lunch.  Attempts to because after every couple of bites the squirrel twitches and scurries down Tanaka’s arm to sniff at Kei’s lunch before running back to her perch and honestly Kei’s not sure he wants to eat something a squirrel is so interested in.  He makes a mental note to not let Kuroo make him lunch anymore.

–

**_I am pretty sure it wants my soul not my food._ **

_You have to bring him over.  I need to meet him.  It would be epic._

_**I am not bringing him or the squirrel to meet you.** _

_Fine.  I’ll come to you then Tsukki._

**_Kuroo.  No._ **

_Kuroo.  YES._

Kei drops his head to the picnic table and sighs, ignoring the squirrel twitching towards him and his lunch, and debates just leaving.  Hell if he was truly as smart as he acted like he was he would have started having lunch somewhere else after the squirrel started accompanying him almost everyday.  Because with the squirrel came Tanaka and the whirlwind that was his presence.  In the two weeks Tanaka and the squirrel have been joining Kei during his lunch he’s found out that Tanaka has an older sister, his favorite food is melon bread, he has two birds, a three legged dog, and a cat he saved along with the squirrel, he has a tendency to tap his fingers on surfaces when he’s embarrassed, and a million other random facts he could have gone his entire life without knowing.

The cry of “Tsukki” rings through the park at the same time “Peanut” does and Kei whimpers.  He feels tiny claws dig into his hair and hears someone thump onto the bench across from him.  A second later someone drops beside him.

“Hey, I’m Kuroo Tetsurou!  You must be Tanaka!”

“Yeah I am!  And that’s Peanut!”

“Aw Tsukki I didn’t know you two were such close friends.”

–

“Kuroo’s passed out on my bed.  Tanaka just fell out of it,” Kei mutters to himself, frustrated, as he shuffles around his kitchen and makes himself a snack.  “Letting those two meet was the worst thing to happen in years.”

He glances to the side and sighs before opening the cupboard and pulling out a bag of nuts.  He grabs a couple, shells them, and munches on them as he finishes making his snack.  A minute later he sighs as the bag rustles.

“And I’m talking to the damn squirrel.”


	4. TanaKuroo

“Here sweetie,” Kuroo coos as he squats down carefully and holds his hand out.  The black cat eyes him warily, wide yellow-orange eyes that remind him of an owl’s - but slinks closer to sniff at his outstretched hand.  After a moment she obviously finds him suitable to give her attention and rubs against his shin.  Once he drops his fingers down to run along her ears and chin she hops up onto his knees and nudges against his chin making him chuckle at the move.  He’s caught up in cat kiss and chin nuzzle bliss and doesn’t register the movement or noise at the end of the alley until the cat stiffens in his arms.

He doesn’t even have time to react before the cat in his arms startles and crashes her head into his nose.  One moment he’s about to let her go and the next his butt hits the cement and he’s got one hand covering his nose.  A loud laugh draws his attention and he glares down the alley with teary eyes and spots a figure backlit by the afternoon sun.

The laughing figure steps closer and then Kuroo’s breath stops when their eyes meet.

“You okay?”  

No he is not okay he was just headbutted by a cat.

Then the guy grins and Kuroo can only nod dumbly instead of giving the sarcastic remark he had ready on the tip of his tongue because that grin is some kind of electric and it just short-circuited his brain or something.  He rubs his nose gingerly and takes the hand that’s offered to him, surprised when the other guy easily pulls him to his feet.  He looked a lot scrawnier backlit by the sun and Kuroo wonders what else is hidden under that leather jacket.  The fitted jeans don’t leave a lot to his imagination - not like it stops his imagination though - and he’s proud to admit that he only flushes a little when the guy’s grin widens even further when he realizes Kuroo is checking him out.

“Sorry about Tori,” he runs a hand over his shaved head and gives Kuroo an apologetic smile.

“Tori?”

“Yeah.  Tori.  She’s a stray that’s been coming ‘round my place lately,” he gestures upwards towards one of the buildings they’re between.  “Like I said.  I’m sorry.  She doesn’t normally startle that easily.“  

His nose isn’t throbbing anymore but he’d give anything to see if it’s as red and swollen as he feels like it is when he twitches it a little.  “Can I like get you an ice pack or something for that?”  Kuroo can see Tori sitting on the ground just a couple feet behind the guy and he narrows his eyes at the smug look on it’s face as it watches them.  “Oh, by the way my name’s Tanaka,” he adds on when Kuroo’s eyes slide back to him.

“Well, Tanaka, I think I’m okay without the ice pack but if you’d like I could totally go for lunch instead?”

“I already had lunch.”  Kuroo’s mood drops a little but he just shrugs and prepares himself for the rest of the rejection; he couldn’t assume every person who grinned at him like that was interested after all.  Tanaka stares past Kuroo’s shoulder for a moment, seemingly lost in thought, until Tori comes up and butts her head against the his calf.  He smiles down at her and makes some sort of cooing noise that does not affect Kuroo’s stomach or heart in any sort of wishy-washy cliche way at all.  “But,” Tanaka says thoughtfully, “I could totally take you for some ice cream.”

Kuroo’s heart does not skip a beat at the bright grin that Tanaka shoots him.  And it definitely does not speed up when Tanaka catches him rubbing at his nose while they’re waiting for their ice cream and offers to kiss it and make it better.


	5. KuroYaku

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'things you said after you kissed me'

“You were taking too long.”

Kuroo blinks once.  Then twice before glancing around the now empty gym.  He can hear their friends shouting and joking around in the locker room but he can’t quite process any of the noise.  He looks down to where Yaku’s fingers are tangled in the neck of his t-shirt.

“I was… what?”

“Taking too long.”

He feels like he should be able to grasp the meaning to Yaku’s words but he can’t quite figure them out.  “Too long?”

“Yes.”  Yaku shakes his head, blush high on his cheeks, and stares at Kuroo.  “We’ve known each other since first year of high school.  We’ve been flirting since first year of university.  We graduated last year.  Too long, Kuroo.  Too long.”  Kuroo can feel the heat crawling up his neck and cheeks and he rubs the back of his neck sheepishly.

“I, uh, well.  We should do that again.  Maybe?”

Yaku laughs and shakes his head before tugging Kuroo down by his shirt, pausing just before their lips meet again.  “All those people who think you’re so suave and smooth.”  His breath fans across Kuroo’s lips.  “I’m glad they don’t know you like I do.”


	6. KuroSuga

Sometimes he couldn’t help himself.  Especially with the way Kuroo always scrunched his nose up and wriggled it, face shifting around and head shaking side to side like a kitten who just smelled something new, every time Koushi did it.  Alone or around friends.  Before breakfast or as they drift off to sleep.  Good morning, good afternoon, goodbye.

They were all reason enough for him.

Koushi leans in an drops a quick kiss to Kuroo’s nose, lips already turning into a smile before he even pulls back, and Kuroo does his adorable nose wriggle and blinks his eyes open slowly.

“Hey you,” he sighs as he slips his arms around Koushi’s waist and pulls him down onto the couch, and himself, fully.  “Missed you.”

“Missed you too.”  Koushi nestles his head under Kuroo’s chin with a content hum and can feel the strain of the day draining from him as he relaxes into Kuroo’s warmth.

“Nap with me?”

It’s not a tough decision even though he knows neither of them had lunch and it’s nearing supper time already and should really get up and take care of that.

“Of course,” he murmurs, eyes already drifting shut, feeling the steady beat of Kuroo’s heart under his palm.


	7. KageTsukki

“Look I know you hate me,” Kageyama stiffly stands after grabbing a spare towel from behind the bench when Tsukishima huffs and rolls his eyes at him.

“If you really think I hate you you’re dumber than Hinata looks.”

Kageyama opens his mouth to defend himself, and possibly Hinata, when Tsukishima gestures past him and he turns to see Hinata hanging over the edge of the ball cart, head and shoulders buried in it and feet dangling.  His shoulders slump and he looks back to Tsukishima.

“Well what am I supposed to think?  It’s not like you’re nice to me.”

“I’m not really nice to anyone.  That’s just kind of who I am.”  Tsukishima shrugs and kicks a loose volleyball towards one of the first years who grabs it and heads over to help Hinata out of the ball cart.  Hinata Shouyou, Ace of Karasuno, defeated by the ball cart.  Sometimes Tsukishima has no idea how anyone on this team survives an actual game.

“So then you like me?”

“Well we’re not the bestest of friends, but I don’t hate you.”  He makes a disgruntled face when Yamaguchi calls for them to hurry up because they have a third year’s meeting they need to have before they lock up.  “What does it even matter?”

Kageyama shrugs and grabs a couple more loose towels as they make their way to where Yamaguchi is waiting.  “I overheard one of the first years saying it was strange that the vice-captain and the captain’s best friend hated each other and I figured if you hated me then maybe I did something and it would affect our games.  I don’t plan on losing just because you hate me.”  He adds after he hands off the towels to one of the second years in charge of laundry.

“Ugh I don’t hate you.  Don’t worry.  We won’t lose at your precious volleyball games.”

“Promise?”  If he hadn’t been standing so close he might not have heard Kageyama’s quiet mumble and he feels his cheeks flush slightly when he bumps their hands together for a brief moment.

“Sure.  It’s a promise,” he replies quietly before stepping away to Yamaguchi’s side to ask about their upcoming practice match.


	8. AkaTsukki

If there was one thing that Tsukishima had gotten good at over the years it was feigning indifference to things that set off his emotions, other than irritation, that was always one he didn’t mind showing especially around his teammates.  Both his former and present teammates.

Something had told him in the back of his mind that signing up for the volleyball club in his university would be a bad idea.  But he had done it anyway.  As much as he wasn’t a fan of effort he also didn’t really like idle time either and he had thought that perhaps a volleyball club for a university that wasn’t really big on competitions and sports would be the perfect match for him.  Until he walked into the gym the first day they met and discovered that two of his teammates, and upperclassmen, were none other than Akaashi Keiji and Kozume Kenma.

For the most part they weren’t bad and he had always gotten along with them both well enough.  Akaashi and Kenma had a particularly unnerving habit of sharing a glance with each other, and a silent conversation, and then looking at another teammate that sent alarms ringing in Tsukishima’s mind, not that he bothered listening to them most of the time.

But back to the indifference.  It was a practiced skill, like blocking, and his body just basically reacted on instinct.  He rarely ever had to put effort into maintaining it.  

Until a few months into university when it inexplicably starts failing him.  He’s not stupid.  He knows that it has something to do with Akaashi and the blunt wit he’d never really noticed before during summer training camp and the way he would stare down a teammate with an expression that was equal parts “I am so sorry you think that’s a valid thought” and “why do I have to deal with this” and how Tsukishima’s stomach would flip flop when Akaashi would let out a huffy laugh through his nose at Tsukishima’s snippy remarks and the way his deadpan comments made Tsukishima laugh.

It also didn’t help his stupid crush any that Akaashi was kind to him.  He bought Tsukishima lunch when he forgot his wallet or shared his sports drink with him after practice or offered to help quiz him before his tests.  He lends him notes to help him with his research paper and even collected handouts from his instructors and showed up at his dorm with medicine for him when he was out sick for a week.

His indifference slips little by little with each tiny gesture until he finds himself returning the kindness.  Offering to fill Akaashi’s water bottle when he goes for his own during practice, inviting Akaashi out for dinner after a particularly long practice that leaves neither of them wanting to make food for themselves, loaning him a pair of headphones and some soothing music when he gets a nasty headache.

It’s not until he lets Akaashi into his dorm room and settles on his bed with a piece of strawberry shortcake in his lap and Akaashi seated at his desk scrolling idly through his phone that it suddenly hits him.

“Have you been flirting with me?”

Akaashi glances up, cheeks slightly flushed, and lets out an exasperated sigh.

“Have been for about four months now.  Thanks for finally noticing.”  Tsukishima feels his own cheeks heat up as his indifference takes a conveniently timed vacation and an almost giddy warmth fills him as Akaashi smiles.  “Just for the record you’ve been flirting back for about a month.  I was just waiting for you to catch on.”


	9. KageAkaTsukki

Dust motes float through the sunlight, dancing to the rhythm of the soft music playing in the background turned down low despite the fact that the man napping with his head in his lap could basically sleep through an entire earthquake and not wake up unless the roof fell on him - and maybe not even then.  Akaashi runs his hands through soft black hair and watches as a tiny smile twitches into place before fading back into the neutral almost scowl that often graced Kageyama’s lips.  The expression was quiet, subtle in a way that would have been missed had he not been used to looking for it.  His fingers trace the curve of Kageyama’s cheek and brush his lips with the lightest of touches.  Kageyama sighs and turns his head a little more towards Akaashi.

He had been surprised to run into Tsukishima at the University library where he worked.  Pleasantly surprised but surprised nonetheless.  He and Tsukishima had always gotten along fairly well in the past so the two of them continuing to do so in University wasn’t much of a surprise.  Neither was finding out that Tsukishima had a boyfriend.  Akaashi himself didn’t really care about who dated what gender and all that as long as the people involved were happy.  What did surprise him was finding out just _who_ Tsukishima was dating.  Not that there was anything wrong with Kageyama but those two had always seemed so… indifferent to each other on a personal basis.

But there was no doubt in his mind that Tsukishima cared a lot for Kageyama.  From the moment he told him, chin high and eyes practically daring him to say something about Kageyama, Akaashi had known they had something special.  A tiny part of him had been jealous because he wondered what it was like to have something that fierce growing in your chest for another person.

What had surprised him most about their relationship was discovering how quiet they were.  Sure Kageyama and Tsukishima could bicker and snap and insult each other with the best of them but most of the time they were content to just be together.  Akaashi would stop over and find Kageyama watching a volleyball match with Tsukishima curled up beside him reading or napping.  Or he’d get a text from Tsukishima with a picture attached of Kageyama attempting to cook dinner, face scrunched in concentration, while Tsukishima had his homework spread out across the table.  He’d spent entire afternoons with them where they all barely said a word to each other, each of them engrossed in what they were doing, yet it never felt awkward.  Those two were soft touches and warm hands and elbows to the ribs in jest.

What surprised him the most about it all wasn’t the warm bubble of affection that grew in his heart for Tsukishima, he had always suspected it was there from that very first training camp together, no what surprised him was the bubble of affection there that was for Kageyama as well.  For this sullen looking scowling teen with his obsession with milk and volleyball and making Tsukishima smile.  At some point during his time hanging out with Tsukishima he had come to care for Kageyama as well, had come to look forward to stopping by the apartment even when he knew Tsukishima had classes, had come to be just as comfortable in his presence alone as he was with both of them there.

 

Tsukishima stumbles into the apartment and frowns at the quiet music.  Music this quiet usually meant that Kageyama had fallen asleep which most likely meant that his fever had come back at some point last night and he didn’t sleep well.  He toes off his shoes and peeks into the living room to find, sure enough, Akaashi on the couch and Kageyama asleep with his head on Akaashi’s lap.  He tosses his jacket and sweater over the chair in the corner and squats down next to the couch with a frown.

“I thought he was better?”  Akaashi’s cool hand cups his cheek and he leans into the touch for a moment.

“He’s fine.  Just tired and trying to catch up on his sleep from the last few days.”  Tsukishima huffs and then crawls up onto the couch as well, carefully wedging himself between Kageyama and the back of the couch so his head was cushioned on Kageyama’s shoulder.  Akaashi smiles and reaches down to pull off his glasses and set them carefully on the end table.  “He’ll probably think you’re coddling him when he wakes up with you like that.”  Tsukishima hums but doesn’t say anything, even when Akaashi tugs down the blanket from the back of the couch and tosses it over them.

When he finally does speak Akaashi has to drag his eyes open and focus in on the soft words, having nearly fallen asleep himself.

“Thank you for looking after him.”

“Of course.  I care about him.  A lot.”  Akaashi’s fingers thread through Tsukishima’s curlier hair and scratch lightly at his scalp.  “Just like I care about you.”  

“I care a lot about you guys too.  Both of you.”

“We know,” Kageyama’s sleep rough voice startles them both and Tsukishima tenses under Akaashi’s fingers like he’s waiting to be told to move.  “You don’t have to say it for us to know, Kei.”  He yawns and slips his arms around Tsukishima before blinking his eyes open and giving Akaashi a twitch of a smile.  “Just like Keiji doesn’t say it all the time and I don’t either.  S’metimes it’s actions and not words.”  He yawns again, eyes fluttering shut as he jostles Tsukishima lightly.  “You showed me that.”

That bubble of affection grows and shifts in the afternoon light, dust motes dancing along without even knowing what’s happening around them, and Akaashi knows now what it’s like to feel so fiercely about someone that he could burst out of his own skin from it.  It’s doubly fierce because it’s two someones he cares for, two someones he loves and who he knows love him in return no matter how quietly they all show it.


	10. TsukkiYamaHina

”No.” Kei says without even looking up from his book at either pair of bright eyes watching him; partially because he can tell by the way they’ve been whispering to each other and glancing at him all week that they have _something_ on their minds and it will probably be a pain in the ass for him if he agrees to it but mostly because he knows if he looks up now and actually catches either of their eyes he will inevitably say yes to anything they ask.

He would have imagined that by now he’d be immune to Yamaguchi’s doe eyes and tiny little smile that he only gets when he’s asking for something he’s pretty sure you don’t want to do but he really kind of does and is really hoping you’ll say yes even if it embarrasses the shit out of you to do it.  And he might have.  If not for Hinata.

Hinata Shouyou, that variable in his life that somehow turned it upside down and a hundred kinds of off kilter.  Because Hinata multiplies everything tenfold (and then some) from a tiny frown to a simple smile and that effect only seems to have gotten stronger the more he and Yamaguchi spent time together.  It was almost like they bounced everything back and forth, building up speed until Kei was nearly blinded and washed away by their affection and ideas and energy.

Hinata inches closer and closer, tiny sneaking moves that are so unlike his usual breakneck speed and lack of finesse that the hair on Kei’s neck stands on end when Hinata finally settles carefully onto the couch next to him.  Hinata doesn’t do anything else at first but then Yamaguchi sits almost daintily on the arm of the couch, hip resting against Kei’s shoulder, and Kei stiffens when Hinata’s arms snake around him and his head nuzzles up into his other shoulder.

He shifts to tell Hinata to let go and suddenly Yamaguchi slides down off the arm of the couch, knocking his book out of his hands, and settles into his lap with a giggle that doesn’t make him blush after all these years.  No matter what Hinata says.

“So, Tsukki,” Yamaguchi says as he catches Kei’s startled gaze and smiles sweetly, “Hinata and I were thinking….”


	11. KageAka

A setter’s hands were kind of his life when it came to actually playing in a game.  Sure every part of their body was important.  A bad knee or a twisted ankle or sore elbow could ruin things just as easily.  But the hands and wrists were so important; even something as simple as a jammed finger could change a setter’s performance.  Kageyama knows this well, too well, and he glares down at his lifeless fingers with disdain and a touch of betrayal.

Keiji laughs softly at Kageyama’s overdramatic sigh and grabs the bottle of shampoo from the floor of the tub where Kageyama’s traitorous fingers had dropped it before urging Kageyama to sit before he collapses.

“You’re tired.”  He rubs soothingly across Kageyama’s shoulders and reaches for the shower head.  “Just let me, okay?”

Kageyama frowns harder at the implication he can’t do it himself but lets Keiji settle him in the tub and start rinsing his hair.  The warm water makes Keiji’s fingers tingle as he runs them through the silky strands of Kageyama’s hair.  He can see the stubborn set of Kageyama’s shoulders slowly relaxing as he massages his scalp.  Keiji uses far too much shampoo but it’s worth it to see the way Kageyama sighs and tilts his head into the touch and scrunches his face around when the shampoo slides down his temple and cheeks.

By the time Keiji has Kageyama’s hair sufficiently shampooed and rinsed out Kageyama is practically asleep in the tub, the only thing really keeping him upright is Keiji’s palm on his chest and his sheer determination to not let Keiji follow through with the “completely embarrassing” threat of carrying him to bed.

He ends up carrying him anyway because Kageyama falls asleep before Keiji can even finish soaping him up.  He carries his earnest, overworking, far too adorable boyfriend to bed and settles him under the covers.

“I’ll win tomorrow,” Kageyama murmurs as he buries his face in Keiji’s neck.  “Promise.”

“I know.”

“For you and all the senpai who don’t play anymore.”

Keiji once thought that there was no way he could be even more in love with Kageyama than he already was, but Kageyama manages proves him wrong every single day.  For someone who he was told used to be so selfish he has a bigger heart than most people Keiji knows.  

He hides his smile in Kageyama’s hair and whispers, “Win for yourself, Tobio.  Win because you earned it.  Because your team earned it.  That will be more than enough for any of us.  I promise.”


	12. YamaHina + KageTsukki

“But you were good, you were great.  You could have kept going and been even more amazing.  With your serve and that woosh pow drop it does.”  Hinata waves his arms excitedly, nearly smacking Tadashi in the face, and Tadashi laughs.

“Thank you, Shouyou.  But I’m okay.  Really.”

He always gets a little quiet when memories of the team surfaces.  When someone makes a comment on an old picture or, like now, late at night after they’ve met up for a meal or drinks just for old times or to celebrate and the rest have stumbled away to a motel or off to someone or another’s couch - or bed - for the night.

Hinata pouts and twists to climb into Tadashi’s lap and pins him down, knees on either side of his hips and hands smacking into the cushion on either side of his head with a muffled thwap.  Tadashi had never quite realized all the noise that Hinata brought with him until he was like this.  Until Hinata’s eyes would narrow and he’d lean in close and quiet, studying every inch of Tadashi’s face like each freckle had the potential secrets of the universe hidden away in them.

“Tadashi.”

He wriggles his nose until the urge to grin at Hinata’s pout fades away into a fond upturn of the corner of his lips.

“Shouyou,” he replies patiently and slips his arms around Hinata’s waist, wrists dangling at the small of his back.  “I never wanted that, even then.  I didn’t want the spotlight and the glamour and the fwahs and gwahs and woahs.  I didn’t want to be the sun or the moon or a star burning bright.  I just wanted to play with my friends and support them and stand on equal ground with them.”

“You did!” Hinata winces when the other occupants of the couch mumble and stir.  “You did,” he repeats quietly.  “You were our captain, our leader.  We trusted you, and still do.”

“I know.  And that’s all I wanted then.  And now,” Tadashi leans forward and kisses Hinata’s nose just to hear him giggle and feel him bury his smile against Tadashi’s neck, “now I just want this.”

“You two are disgusting.”  A muffled voice comes out of the dark at the other end of the couch.  “Please stop before I throw up.”

“Tsukki!”

“If you throw up it will be because you let Tanaka talk you into a drinking contest not because our best friends are incredibly sappy.”

“Shut up, King, or I’ll throw up on you.”

“Why not?  You’re already using me as a pillow.”

Hinata giggles again and kisses Tadashi’s neck.

“You really want our best friends arguing with each other about throwing up while crashed on our couch at three in the morning?”  Hinata’s whispers tickle his ear and Tadashi laughs.

“As long as you’re with me, then yeah.”


	13. BokuTsukki

Koutarou frowns at the snow falling around them and then glances over at the man sitting next to him.  Snowflakes melt on the tips of blonde hair - much of which was still actually dyed a fading pale purple from Halloween - sticking out from under the grey and gold stocking cap and stick to the curve of his pink cheeks.   Koutarou can feel the frown pulling at his lips but he can’t help it; it’s getting colder out by the minute and his butt is already feeling numb and he’s only been sitting for a few minutes.  Tsukishima’s probably been out here nearly an hour.

“You’re gonna catch a cold or something if you don’t head inside soon.”

A scraped chin pops out of the gray and gold scarf that adorably matches his stocking cap and Tsukishima’s chapped lips are turned down into a petulant scowl as he replies.

“You cannot fathom the immensity of the fuck I don’t give.” 

Koutarou huffs and drops his head back, watching his breath cloud the air above him before dissipating.  He blinks away the flakes that fall into his eyes and just watches the snow fall.  

“If you’re so worried about catching colds why don’t you go back inside?”  Tsukishima’s voice is muffled by the scarf but Koutarou can hear the weariness in it.

“Cause you’re out here.”  He blinks away another snowflake from his eye and sits back up to look at Tsukishima.  “And you’re wearing my hat and scarf.”

Tsukshima’s eyes widen comically behind his glasses, cheeks going even pinker as he touches the hat on his head cautiously.  It’s adorable and Koutarou smiles at the sight.  Then Tsukishima shuts down and his fingers dig into the cap and yank it off, tossing it into Koutarou’s lap with a scoff.

“Whatever.”  His no doubt almost numb fingers - because the stubborn idiot didn’t grab the matching gloves, which are now on Koutarou’s hands, when he stalked out earlier - scrabble to undo the scarf from his neck but Koutarou is faster.  He tangles his own fingers in the loose end hanging down the front of Tsukishima’s jacket and tugs him forward, watching as his eyes widen in surprise before they slide shut.

Tsukishima’s lips are cold against Koutarou’s, though Koutarou supposes by now his own aren’t much warmer, and Tsukishima’s cheek feels frozen when Koutarou cups it with his free hand - even through his glove.  When they pull apart, breath clouding the air between them, Koutarou lets go of the scarf and slips the cap back onto Tsukishima’s head,  making sure to cover the tips of his reddening ears before settling close enough on the bench that their shoulders press together.

By the time they eventually head back inside Koutarou can barely feel his own nose but it’s worth it when Tsukishima gives him a thankful smile before tugging him to his feet and doesn’t let go of his hand until they step back into the warmth of their apartment.


	14. AkaKen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> aka Yaku's life is suffering

Yaku hadn’t meant to eavesdrop.  He had simply been cutting across the gym, planning on ducking under the net and heading to their bench to grab his bottle of water.  Nekoma versus Fukurodani matches weren’t the stuff of legends but they all worked their asses off when they played each other.  Yaku had been in his own mind, replaying that last save Komi had gotten that had led into the final play of the match and thinking he might have to ask the other Libero if he’d been doing any special training since they last played, and had barely even fully registered the voices.

“You may not have lost all your marbles,” Akaashi’s voice filters in and Yaku blinks a little as his thoughts clear, “but there is definitely a hole in the bag.”

“That’s because Kuro gives me his to hold.”  Kenma’s voice is soft but clear.

Akaashi huffs out a laugh and Yaku pauses midstep to see where they are.  They’re standing near each other just to the other side of the net and Yaku continues on his way.

“The way you talk about him I sometimes wonder if you even like him.  Do you like anything other than video games?”

Yaku blinks hard at Akaashi’s words but continues walking, just getting ready to duck under when Kenma’s reply comes.

“I like apple pies and the sound you make when you shut up.”

Yaku’s brain stops.  Unfortunately his body doesn’t and he lets out a yelp and flails as the net catches him across his face and startles him.  He gives a sheepish grin to everyone who looks over and hurries on his way to his water bottle.

 

But of course that’s not the end of it.

 

“He talked himself into so much of a circle he physically turned around.”  Kenma’s voice makes Yaku pause outside the bathroom door, hand outstretched.  Does he really want to get in the middle of whatever is going on?  He’s pretty sure Akaashi is in there too.  He’s about the only person other than Hinata and Kuroo that Yaku has ever seen Kenma really enjoy talking to.  

“If it makes you feel any better last week Bokuto insisted he could talk to owls.  He caught one and tried to bring it inside my house.  I am still finding feathers in my room.”

“These are the people we follow.  I really don’t want to know what that says about us.”

“Very true.  Well good night.  I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Oh lovely,” Kenma’s voice barely reaches the door and Yaku shakes head and sighs, he really needs to stop eavesdropping on these two on accident.  “You’ll see me tomorrow?  Thanks for the warning.”

Yaku freezes with his hand on the doorknob and has enough time to wonder if Kenma and Akaashi have always been this sarcastic or if they just bring out the best in each other before the door swings open and hits him in the face.

Akaashi’s startled face wavers and shimmers from the tears in Yaku’s eyes and Yaku pokes at his nose gingerly.  This is just really… really not his day.

 

“Maybe if you wouldn’t be so anti-social he wouldn’t push you to hang out so much.”  Yaku glances up from where he’s been watching Lev do flying falls - it was his turn to educate the first year and he’s just had enough of a rough time the last few days he needs Lev to be doing something away from him - and eyes Akaashi and Kenma warily.  There are no nets to run into.  No doors to open into his face and nearly give him a black eye.  Just two quiet people sassing each other like they were born to do it.

Kenma glances past Yaku to where Kuroo and Bokuto are hooting and cackling about something that Yaku doesn’t even want to begin to fathom and he sighs.

“I’m not anti-social.  I’m anti-stupid.”  Kenma pauses a moment and catches Yaku’s eye with a small smile before looking back to Akaashi just as Yaku puts his water bottle to his lips for a drink.  “And yet here I am talking to you.”

Yaku is not entirely sure if he choked on his water or spilled it straight down his shirt.  All he knows is that he is now in need of a dry shirt and he is so done with these ridiculous setters.


	15. BokuKuroTsukki

Koutarou sits quietly, eyes flickering back and forth in the afternoon light, content to just watch Kuroo and Tsukishima talking.  He’s not even sure what they’re talking about, the words a blurry grey noise at the edge of his mind, but it doesn’t matter.  Because whatever it is, is making Tsukishima’s cheeks tint pink and his eyes grow wide the faster he talks and it’s making Kuroo bite his lip when he’s not talking and tilt his head at _that_  angle that means even if they’re playing around he’s taking every word that falls from Tsukishima’s lips seriously.

Koutarou cups his chin in his hand and just watches them, happy to just be here with them.

They’ve come so far in the last few years and sometimes he can’t quite believe he’s gotten to see Tsukishima grow from that belligerent teen with barely a passing interest in anything to this passionate twenty-three year old sitting at a patio table with his eyes practically glowing as he tells Kuroo about the photos he took on his and Koutarou’s trip last week.  He can’t believe he’s gotten to experience graduation and university and turning into a responsible adult with Kuroo at his side the whole way, the two of them going from confused teens to responsible(ish) adults who pay bills and go grocery shopping.

They’re all such adults now.  He laughs softly at that thought as he suddenly grabs the soft stylish scarf around Tsukishima’s neck and pulls him forward for a kiss.  Tsukishima’s lips curve up against his after a surprised moment and they both smile, sharing a warm glance before turning to Kuroo and pulling him until all three of them can rest their foreheads together and just laugh.


	16. OiSuga

Suga turns with a sigh and props himself carefully on the edge of his desk.  He can already tell he’s going to regret this decision.  He meets a pair of brown eyes barely a shade darker than his own.

“Why are you staring at me?”

“Why aren’t we making out?”

Yep.  Definitely going to regret this someday.

“Excuse me?”

“I mean, you’re pretty gorgeous and I’m, well,” he gestures to himself and grins, “I’m me.”

Suga can feel his cheeks heating up but he’s not sure if it’s out of whatever poor excuse for flattery that just was or because there are now a handful of curious onlookers watching them.

“Do I even know you?”

“I’m Oikawa Tooru and you are…” Oikawa’s voice drifts off as he grins at Suga, waiting, no doubt, for Suga to swoon or something.

Suga admits that it is a charming grin and he does rather appreciate the attractiveness of confidence in a person.  But he can also see that glint under the surface of Oikawa’s smile and it’s just a little too similar to the slice of razor sharp barb wires hidden behind Suga’s own smile waiting to get out.

He plants his hands on Oikawa’s desk and leans forward until there’s just a breath of space between their noses.  The way the hushed voices start spiraling around him as Oikawa’s eyes widen slightly sends a rush through his veins and he smiles.

“Way out of your league,” Suga whispers loudly.

Oikawa’s mouth falls open slightly before his lips curl up into a knowing grin.  “Oh.  You and I are going to get along so well.”


	17. IwaSuga + OiDai

Iwaizumi growls a little as he drops his bag on the bench and glances towards the only other person still in the locker room.

“Sometimes I don’t know why we do this.  Isn’t it a little ridiculous?”

Sugawara looks over and laughs.

“I dunno I think it’s kind of fun for all of us to get together and goof off a little.”

“But it’s not goofing off,” Iwaizumi complains.  He doesn’t whine.  Iwaizumi Hajime doesn’t whine about things, he leaves that to Oikawa, but he might complain with a slightly childish pout.  It seems to amuse Sugawara, which is fine, because he shakes his head and gives Iwaizumi smile.  “They all take it so seriously it’s ridiculous.  I get stressed enough at work I don’t need to deal with the stress of them competing.”

“Are you saying you don’t get competitive, Iwaizumi?”

“No I do.  Which defeats the purpose of it being a relaxing way to wind down at the end of the week.  Which is how Oikawa proposed it to me.  God I should really have learned not to listen to him by now.”

Sugawara does that little laugh - Iwazumi is pretty sure that Sugawara’s laugh is illegal in certain places and he knows it’s completely unfair - and Iwaizumi sees him tug his shirt over his head out of the corner of his eye.  He’s about to say something else about the less than stellar situation of Oikawa being his best friend when he catches a sparkle out of the corner of his eye and his words die in his throat because he knows logically that while sometimes Sugawara _seems_  to sparkle he doesn’t _actually_.

Except part of him apparently does.

Iwaizumi turns his head just enough to fully catch sight of Sugawara’s pale stomach and the sparkle of wings against it.

It’s a piercing, he realizes as Sugawara tosses his shirt into the locker in front of him.

Sugawara Koushi has a navel piercing and Iwaizumi’s brain is not sure what to do with this information.  He’s so fixated on this fact - and the way what appears to be a dragonfly ring of some kind shines and shimmers in the bright locker room lights - that he misses Sugawara glancing over when he realizes Iwaizumi isn’t listening anymore.  He also misses the sly smile that flashes over Sugawara’s face before he clasps his wrists above his head and stretches his arms up, arching his back and twisting a little so the light catches the dragonfly even more.  He slowly pops the button of his jeans and slides them down his hips, making sure to keep himself in Iwaizumi’s view as he slips out of them and into his shorts.

Someone clears their throat in the doorway and Iwaizumi blinks.  He hasn’t even started changing and Sugawara is standing in front of him with his hands on his hips and a smile on his face that is not good for Iwaizumi’s health at all.  Iwaizumi shakes his head and peeks over his shoulder to see Sawamura standing there, arms crossed, with a very unimpressed look on his face.

A look that says he has been here a minute or two and knows exactly what Iwaizumi was doing and where his thoughts - or lack of them - were going and he is not really impressed by it.

Iwaizumi feels the tops of his cheeks flushing as he yanks his shirt off and changes into shorts and a sleeveless shirt.  He’s just about to pull on his shoes when Oikawa’s voice fills the room.

“What’s taking so long, Iwa-chan?  Forget how to dress yourself again?”

“Shut up, Shittykawa,” he snaps reflexively.  A soft grunt comes from the doorway and he looks over and has his brain stop functioning for the second time in under ten minutes.

Because Sawamura is standing there, arms still crossed and unimpressed look plastered on his face, with Oikawa draped against him, chin hooked over Sawamura’s shoulder and floofy hair no doubt tickling his ear as he grins at Iwaizumi like he knows exactly where Iwaizumi’s thoughts have been and why he’s not already in the gym.  Sawamura doesn’t even react other than shifting to accept Oikawa’s weight and glancing at Oikawa’s face without even moving his head and wow, okay this is a development that Iwaizumi hasn’t heard anything about.

He glances back at Sugawara and sees a “is there something I should know here?” look on his face and takes a little comfort in knowing that at least he’s not alone in not knowing what’s happening.

Iwaizumi turns back in time to see Oikawa wink at them and wrap his arms around Sawamura’s waist like it’s second nature and Sawamura simply rolls his eyes and lets out a fond sigh.  Or at least it sounds fond, Iwaizumi isn’t an expert on Sawamura’s sighs.

“Are you three going to join the rest of us for volleyball or just stare at each other all day?”

“Oh I’d be more than happy to stare at you all day,” Oikawa says.  Sawamura, to his credit, barely even pauses as he turns to leave with Oikawa still draped against him.  He simply takes a deep breath and keeps moving.

Oikawa, to _his_  credit, doesn’t let go and simply makes Sawamura - who is still a good four inches shorter than Oikawa even five years after high school - drag him down the hallway.

“I am going to go play volleyball even if you assholes aren’t.”  Sawamura’s voice echoes down the hallway to them as the door falls shut.  Iwaizumi’s a little impressed by the fact that he doesn’t even sound slightly winded by the effort of dragging the dead weight of Oikawa and his ego behind him.

He turns to Sugawara once again and they share a confused look.

“Well,” Sugawara says as he drops his attention to taking out the ring in his belly button and carefully dropping it into a pocket on his bag, “that was unexpected.”

“Yeah.”  Iwaizumi clears his throat and finishes tying his shoes as Sugawara finally grabs his t-shirt from the locker.  “Seems to be a lot of that going around.”

Sugawara tilts his head as he passes by Iwaizumi, voice cheery and teasing as he hooks his thumb in the waistband of his shorts.

“You know the belly button ring’s not the only thing I have.”  He tugs the waistband of his shorts, and underwear, down just enough for Iwaizumi to see a flash of color tattooed on his hip and then he’s out the door.

Iwaizumi’s pretty sure his brain shutting off so many times in a few minutes isn’t healthy.  Nothing about what Sugawara does to him is healthy.  

He doesn’t scramble to leave the locker room and follow Sugawara’s echoing laugh to the gym.  

But he doesn’t exactly take his time either.


	18. AkaYamaYama (AkaYamaKage)

Words flow across him, delicate lines and curves that dance just under the surface of his skin, ink filled strokes that swirl and twine together until they’re drawn out.  They surge and coil and writhe with impatience as they wait, huddled under the swaths of fabric that cover him, for their moment to shine.  It burns, this waiting to be discovered, waiting for the moment the light is shined on him and he tries to blink and look past it to see what lies beyond, _who_  lies beyond.  To see what they want and how they’ll use his words.

He isn’t good for much, he understands this.  His words could be powerful, his lines steady and strong, but he can’t make them that way himself.  His hands are too shaky, his fingers too clumsy, and the words bunch up like ink splatters that scatter away like dust in a breeze.

_Yamaguchi_

He knows his name, always has, but rarely does he feel it twist like this.  Rarely has he ever felt it seek and connect and burn for direction.  Yet now his name flows into life on the back of his hand, seeking out the patch of sunlight it is resting in.  Rough strokes, young and impatient, that make him itch with the need to move and fight and _go_.

_Tadashi_

Patience flows into each stroke, circles the first one with careful precision and grace.  This one is older.  Calmer.  It makes the rest of the words in him rise to the surface in lazy spirals.  Makes him want to step into the light and let the canvas of his skin run dry.

The door swings open but the inky swoops and edges don’t scatter, don’t flee under his clothes even when someone steps inside.  His name stays on the back of his hand - two distinct styles, two distinct energies - even as a second person steps inside the small room.

 

He wakes with a start, breath caught in his throat as he sits up and watches the sheets pool around his waist.  Smooth words dance across his skin in the moonlight, skitter through the shadows the curtains throw as they sway in the breeze, and come to rest in a patch of light over his heart.

“Sorry,” Akaashi murmurs from the desk in the corner, “I couldn’t sleep.”

Tadashi smiles as Kageyama mutters something in his sleep and wraps himself a little tighter around Tadashi’s waist.

“Come back to bed?”  He watches the way Akaashi’s eyes flicker across the desk and he can feel the words tickling under his skin.  “You can bring your books,” he adds, teasing a small smile onto Akaashi’s face.

Kageyama wakes a little when Akaashi settles onto the bed and nudges Tadashi over and he gives one of those sleepy smiles that makes Tadashi’s heart race.  Tadashi settles his head on Akaashi’s shoulder and curls closer as Akaashi takes his hand and words bloom under his skin.  Akaashi mutters and murmurs and concentrates as the moon disappears and the sun rises and Tadashi watches the push and pull and curl of Akaashi’s magic.

Eventually Kageyama’s magic seeps in and nips at Akaashi’s.  Strong and rough under Tadashi’s skin where Akaashi’s is cautious and patient.  It’s a strange feeling to have them drawing his words out and weaving them together, pulling at them with glimmering strings of magic that he can almost see shimmering quietly in the morning light.


	19. BokuKuroTeru

“Dude that’s awesome!”  Kuroo is only half listening to Bokuto’s words, mind focused on the silver ball resting on the top of Terushima’s stuck out tongue.  He thinks he mutters something lame like “nice” but his mind is about a million miles away thinking about how he’s never given much thought to the fact that Terushima has his tongue pierced.  “What’s it feel like?”  Bokuto asks.

He has to admit he’s a little curious himself.  He wonders if it hurt to get done and how awkward it was afterwards to try to do simple things like eat or drink or even talk.

He’s about to ask how long something like that takes to heal completely but the words are caught in his throat as Terushima grins and leans into Bokuto.  A murmured, “Like this,” filling the space between the three of them in a way that is far to warm and intimate to be happening in the corner of the gym with all three of their teams milling about talking.  Kuroo can only watch in surprise as Bokuto’s eyes widen in shock and then flutter closed when Terushima slides his fingers into Bokuto’s hair and pulls them together.  Kuroo catches a glimpse of Terushima’s tongue sliding into Bokuto’s mouth and then his brain shuts off as he watches them making out.  It could have been hours but it was probably less than a minute before Terushima pulls away with a satisfied smirk, licking his lips as Bokuto drags his eyes open.

“That’s sick!”  Bokuto declares with glee.

“I know right?”  Terushima wiggles his eyebrows at Kuroo and gives them both a wave before he jogs off.  “Talk to you guys later!”

Kuroo can’t keep it out of his head.  It follows him to bed and back out of it the next day.  Wiggling at the edge of his mind as he watches the other two captains throughout the next day of camp.  No one on his team thinks his watching them is strange, save for maybe Yaku and Kenma but neither feel like getting into whatever his issue is so they leave him be.  And he’s glad because how does he explain the jealousy bubbling in him?  He doesn’t even know if he’s jealous that Bokuto got to be kissed like that.  Or if it was because he wasn’t the one kissing Bokuto.  Or if it was because he wanted to be getting kissed by both of them.  Most of all it’s unfair that neither Bokuto nor Terushima seems to have been even the slightest bit affected by it while Kuroo is sitting here scowling at his own shoes like the laces offended his mother or something.

It follows him again as he notes the way both Terushima and Bokuto look without their flashier earrings in.  He knows Bokuto always takes his out for practice and Terushima apparently does the same with everything but a simple pair of studs in his lobes.  Those and that flashing sliver of silver in his mouth are still there.  Taunting Kuroo each time Terushima laughs loudly or shouts out encouragement to his team.  It’s still there after a long day of matches and penalties and new bruises and it shimmers at the edge of his mind when he tugs his jacket on after making sure everyone else is changed and back out of the locker room and he heads to double check that the gym is cleaned and locked up.

He spots Terushima bending to pick up a stray towel near the far wall and watches the light from outside - the only inside lights are coming from the storage closet and one of the other locker rooms connected to the gym - catch on the silver bars and balls back in Terushima’s ears.  He can hear the clicking across the quiet gym as Terushima runs the ball of his tongue piercing across his teeth - a habit he has when he’s thinking Kuroo had noticed throughout the day - and Kuroo is striding across the gym and pinning Terushima to the wall before he can stop himself.

Terushima lets out a surprised noise when his shoulders hit the wall but it’s quickly silenced when Kuroo presses their lips together.  It’s a little bit desperate and a little too awkward at first until Terushima rolls his head just a little and Kuroo lets out a huff through his nose at the easy way their lips fit together.  Terushima doesn’t hesitate to drop the towel in his hand and fit one hand around the back of Kuroo’s neck and slide the other into his hair to pull Kuroo down into his space.  Kuroo lets Terushima tease his lips apart and slide his tongue inside and he feels a shudder work through him at the odd sensation of Terushima’s piercing clacking against his teeth.  Terushima’s fingers dig into his scalp and the back of his neck and Kuroo hisses.  Terushima’s breath is hot against his cheek when he pulls away and laughs softly.

Another laugh, loud and so familiar that Kuroo could react to it in his sleep, echoes around them and Kuroo glances to the side as Bokuto props himself against the wall with a grin and a hum.

“Ten out of ten for effort,” he says as his eyes scan them, hot pinpricks of sensation rising under Kuroo’s skin like Bokuto’s gaze is a physical touch, “but your execution was a little lacking.”

“Oh really?”

Teasing.  Harmless flirting.  Meaningless banter with the slightest hint of more.  This Kuroo can do.  This he knows how to handle.  Terushima laughing again, breath damp and hot against Kuroo’s throat and fingers tight against his skin, is not something he’s used to.

“Yes really.”  Bokuto teasing back.  Words lighting up the dark around him.  Still something he’s used to.  Terushima gliding easily out of the way as Bokuto steps up and spins Kuroo, backing him into the wall and pinning his hands beside his head with Terushima watching, his curiosity and interest nearly a tangible thing.  This is not something he’s encountered before.  Not even in the dreams that he wakes from with damp clothes and shortened breath.

Bokuto’s breath warms his cheek as he noses his way down to Kuroo’s lips.  Kuroo can feel Bokuto pressing him against the wall, assaulting his senses as he inches closer and closer until their lips are so close he can feel the air hum and shift when Bokuto’s lips part.

“Kuroo.”

His eyes fly open - he doesn’t even know when he closed them - and the look in Bokuto’s eyes makes him whine.  The startled noise Terushima makes at the sound just makes the look in Bokuto’s eyes turn even more intense.  Then his lips are on Kuroo’s and it’s like everything from the last twenty-four hours, hell everything from the last few months that he didn’t even realize was there, slips into perfect, crystal clear focus.

Bokuto is not soft, hell he’s more muscle mass and hard ridges than Kuroo is,  but the way his fingers trap Kuroo’s against the wall and the way his lips part invitingly when Kuroo’s tongue darts out definitely speaks of a velvety softness that Kuroo wants to wrap himself in.

 

“You being jealous?”  Terushima says later that night from where he’s got his back pressed against Bokuto’s chest and Kuroo sprawled in his lap, head on Terushima’s chest as they stare at the stars.  “Kinda hot.  Not gonna lie.”


	20. Pretty Setter Squad

Akaashi sighs and curls tighter around the warm body beside him, eyes clenched shut against the bright light streaming in through the windows before he buries his nose in dark hair.  Silver laughter filters in through the closed bedroom door and he curls a little tighter, not quite ready to give up his little sanctuary of warmth and those blissful moments where he’s drifting between sleep and wakefulness.  Warm fingers settle against his hip moments before a cold nose presses against the back of his neck and he hisses.

“You’re evil.”

“No,” fluffy hair brushes his neck as Yahaba laughs and shakes his head, “You’re confusing me with Oikawa.”

Kageyama stirs, as if the very uttering of Oikawa’s name can reach him even when he’s dead to the world, and mumbles something against Akaashi’s throat.  It sounds like an order for curry but it’s hard to listen closely with Yahaba rubbing his icicle of a nose against the back of Akaashi’s neck with apparent glee.

“No I’m sure I’m not mistaking you for him.  He doesn’t rub his popsicle nose against me every chance he gets.  You, on the other hand, do.”

“Not like I’m the only one.  Setters get cold easily.  Don’t think I haven’t seen you and Kozume buried under a mountain of blankets.  And Sugawara has more sweaters than Oikawa has fangirls.”

Kageyama stirs again, this time pulling away, blinking confusedly and giving Akaashi a bleary stare that makes him sigh and lean down to press a kiss to Kageyama’s forehead.

The door opens and Yahaba groans at the sudden breeze of cooler air that accompanies Semi when he sticks his head inside and raises an eyebrow at the three of them still huddled under the blankets.

“Breakfast is done if the three of you are done being lazy.”  Kageyama shoots up at the taunt and is after Semi in a flash of dark hair, pale skin, and what looks like one of Oikawa’s shirts.  “Don’t worry Shirabu and Sugawara cooked,” he calls out while their footsteps thud away towards the kitchen.

A minute later the door opens again and Kenma peeks his head inside.  “Breakfast?”

“Tired.”  Akaashi yawns around the smile that slips onto his lips when Kenma sighs and shuffles into the room, sliding into the spot that Kageyama had just left and curling against Akaashi’s side.  His fingers are cool when they curl against his chest but they’re sheltered in the sleeves of the shirt Kenma’s wearing, possibly one of Suga’s given the colors, and Akaashi hums.  “See, this is being considerate of your cold body parts and not just shoving them onto people.”  He feels Yahaba shrug and wiggle closer until he can slide his arm past Akaashi’s waist and tangle his fingers in Kenma’s shirt.

“Where’s the fun in that?”

Akaashi is in the middle of showing Yahaba just what kinds of fun he prefers to encounter in bed when he hears Oikawa whistle appreciatively from the door and he pauses to toss a haughty glare over his shoulder when Suga snickers as well.

“Either leave or join us.  It’s too cold with the door hanging open,” he grumbles before turning his attention back to the dip of Yahaba’s hips.


	21. The Captains

Futakuchi pulls another handful of gummies out of the package on the counter with a grin; he has a front row seat and is hellbent on appreciating the show that’s being put on in front of him.  The same show that Kuroo seems hellbent on ignoring from his place on the other side of the table with his homework spread out in front of him.

The show involves Sawamura and Terushima both taking up residence in the same kitchen chair.  But, much to Futakuchi’s enjoyment, it’s surprisingly Sawamura who is straddling a slightly stunned looking Terushima though he supposes he can’t blame him any.  If Sawamura was in his lap looking at him like that, all hungry eyes and fingers sliding under his shirt, he’s pretty sure he’d look rather lost too.  Sawamura bends forward, curling against Terushima, and whispers something to him that even this close Futakuchi can’t hear.  Terushima’s eyes go even wider than before as Sawamura pulls away and he nods slowly.

Sawamura stands and stretches his arms out wide and Futakuchi takes a moment to appreciate the way his muscles pull his shirt taut and then takes another moment when he realizes that Sawamura is wearing one of his shirts.  The shirt that Futakuchi wore to bed last night after his shower.

Sawamura spins on his heel and suddenly he’s leaning into Futakuchi’s space, hands braced against the counter on either side of his hips.  Futakuchi licks his lips a little nervously, the scent of his laundry and lingering scents of his body wash mixing with Sawamura’s scent as he leans in and kisses the edge of Futakuchi’s jaw, whispering dark and heavy against his skin, before pulling away and leaving the kitchen.

He doesn’t hear the grunt of surprise as Terushima drags him out of the kitchen towards the bedrooms, doesn’t even register them nearly knocking Bokuto on his ass - saved only by the fact that Ushijima was directly behind him.  All he can hear is Sawamura’s voice promising him things that already have him half hard and all he can focus on is the way Terushima’s fingers tremble against his skin.

Oikawa does not appear to appreciate being woken up from his nap when they rush in but he’s quickly pacified when he’s pulled into a kiss from Sawamura that has him panting and flushed when they part.


	22. YakuAka

“Dude.”  Bokuto flops onto the floor and leans heavily against Kuroo’s shoulder.  “I think my mom is dating your mom.”

Kuroo, who had said goodbye to both his mother _and_  father - who are both definitely happily married to each other and in love and not dating other people - that morning before coming to the weekend training camp, gives Bokuto a wide eyed stare.  Sometimes even he has trouble following his fellow captain’s train of thought.

“My mom is married.  To my dad.  No one is dating anyone.”

“Not your mom.”  Bokuto gestures towards the far corner of the gym where their teams are mingling.  “Your _mom_.”

“My…?”  His voice trails off as the studies the players.  Kenma is avoiding Lev who is gesturing wildly next to Yamamoto.  Yaku is talking to Akaashi and Komi.  Sarukui is talking to Kai.  His eyes dart back.  Yaku is talking to Akaashi.  Yaku has his hand on his hip and is tilting his head to the side with a smile on his face and talking to Akaashi.  Yaku, the mom of Nekoma, is talking to Akaashi, mom of Fukurodani.  “Wait Yaku and Akaashi?  No.”

“Wanna bet?”

 

Kuroo doesn’t believe Bokuto.  It’s not that he doesn’t think those two would get together.  It’s just… that he doesn’t think _those two_  would get together.  He’s not even sure why he doesn’t think they’d get together.  But his brain just can’t seem to process the idea of them together for whatever reason.

But now that Bokuto mentioned it all he can focus on is the way they interact.  It’s nothing blatant, nothing worthy of flashing lights and giant billboards proclaiming anything.  But he supposes it is there.  Yaku’s eyes tend to drift to Akaashi more than usual and Akaashi’s smirks seem extra vicious when he sets up a scoring spike that gets past Yaku.  When the teams take a break between games Yaku seems to gravitate to Akaashi, inch by inch, until they’re standing side by side and Yaku has that tiny smile on his face again.  Bokuto looks over from whatever Akaashi is saying and gives Kuroo a look that practically screams “See I told you so.”

He can see the way they turn to each other without thinking about it, like they already know the other will be right there, and the way that Akaashi takes Yaku’s water bottle without a moment of hesitation on either side and okay he can admit that he can see that they’re close.

And then it doesn’t matter what he sees or thinks.  Because he opens the door to the locker room on a search for Kenma’s missing power cord hours after practice is over and finds Akaashi sitting on one of the benches with Yaku in his lap, legs draped over the other side of the bench and arm hooked around Akaashi’s neck as they murmur quietly to each other about something.

Kuroo actually thinks he would feel less weird if he walked in on them making out.

Because this is close and intimate and Kuroo feels like he’s intruding on _something_  just standing here in the doorway.  So he backs out slowly and lets the door swing shut to the sound of Akaashi and Yaku laughing softly with each other.

He never thought he’d see the day when he would actually  _want_ to walk in on two of his friends making out and he shudders a little at the thought.

 

The next morning Kuroo slides a handful of money and two of Bokuto’s favorite candy bars across the table without a word.


	23. TsukkiNoya

The words fall like icicles.  Sharp, cold, fracturing into dozens of cloudy pieces on impact after weeks spent glittering dangerously above him, gaining weight with each warm comment and cold shrug of shoulders.  Really it was his own fault for letting those moments soften him.  For letting his guard down.  For forgetting that sometimes even beautiful things can be dangerous and biting.

For forgetting that it was those sharp words and that cold shield of ice that drew him in in the first place.

For forgetting that not everyone wants to be protected.

It’s Noya’s fault for forgetting the way Tsukishima’s fingers tremble ever so slightly when they smooth a bandage over his bicep and the cool digits slide up to do the same on his shoulder.

“You don’t need to protect me.”  Tsukishima’s voice is low, hoarse and gritty as it scratches across Noya’s skin and curls in his chest.  He forgets everything so easily when it comes to Tsukishima.  “You’re free to be safe from harm.  I can handle it.”

But Tsukishima forgets too.

He forgets that Noya isn’t deterred by sharp needles and cold shields and icy walls.

Forgets the way Noya’s lungs feel like they’re collapsing when Tsukishima laughs warmly and settles Noya a little closer in his lap.

Forgets that Noya would give everything he has to keep those he loves safe.

He forgets….

“Need or not.  I _want_  to protect you.”  Those cool fingers tremble against his skin.   “I _chose_ to protect you then.”  They tense against the venerable skin of his throat and Noya shivers.  “I _choose_ to protect you now.”


	24. TeruYama

“You wanna repeat that?”

Tadashi glances over his shoulder and freezes at what he sees, hands dripping sudsy water back into the sink.  Mostly he’s focused on the adorable flush tinting Terushima’s cheeks and the way he’s sitting at the table looking like he’s holding his breath and waiting eagerly for something.  Tadashi dries his hands off slowly, tossing the towel onto the counter before turning and giving Terushima a sly smile.

“Thank you for getting groceries?”

Terushima rolls his eyes.  “The part before that.”

“Welcome home?”

“Tadashi.”

“Yuuji.”

The flush on Terushima’s face deepens as the anticipatory smile starts to slip from his face.  “Never mind.”  

He moves to push away from the table and Tadashi sets one knee on the chair across from him and braces his arms on the table, slowly leaning forward into Terushima’s space and gently wrapping his fingers around Terushima’s wrists.  His thumbs rub lightly against Terushima’s skin and he can feel Terushima’s pulse starting to speed up as he smiles.

“Yuuji.”  Tadashi’s voice is low and teasing and he knows just how much it drives Terushima crazy when he does it, especially when he can see the flush start to crawl down his neck as he watches Tadashi carefully.

“What?”

He takes a slow, deep breath and holds Terushima’s gaze.  His own face is heating up as he licks his lips and smiles.

“I love you.”  The words slide off his tongue like honey, slow and sticky and sweet, and he leans across the table to press a kiss to the corner of Terushima’s lips.  He repeats himself, “I.  Love.  You.”  Punctuating each word with a quick kiss to Terushima’s lips before letting go of one wrist to wrap his hand around the back of Terushima’s neck to pull him into a deep kiss, letting the words fall between them without another syllable being said.


	25. KyouYachi

She recognizes him, of course she does.  That hairstyle is hard to forget, for one thing, and so are his very small eyebrows and impressively sharp eyeliner.  Or she thinks it’s eyeliner.  She kind of wants to ask but she’s not so sure that tiny little her approaching the Mad Dog of Seijoh would be a very good idea.  Despite the fact that she’s a second year now and the teams get along fairly well considering last year and she’s never really seen him do anything to earn his nickname other than the frighteningly powerful spikes he does on the court but Tanaka has scarily strong spikes too and he’s actually a very sweet senpai so really she doesn’t know if she should be as worried about Kyoutani Kentarou as she is.

Especially since he’s squatting down outside the store a block from the gym they’re having their practice matches at holding his hand out for something small and fuzzy to sniff carefully at.  His voice is low and soft as he talks to whatever it is - all she can see from this angle is that it’s something tiny and fluffy and it’s mewling oh it’s a little kitten it’s so adorable she can’t help the little squeak that slips out.  Kyoutani and the kitten both freeze and her heart starts pounding, threatening to beat itself right out from her ribs, as his eyes snap to the side and his head slowly turns.  Oh no he’s going to be so mad.  What if he snaps and she winds up buried in the nearby park and no one is going to know what happened to her because she hadn’t even told her captain where she was going, just that she _was_  going and oh he’s standing up and he’s so _tall_  and well nearly everyone is tall compared to her she really should be used to this it’s not like volleyball is a sport for short people.

“You’re Karasuno’s manager.”  His voice startles her back into remembering to breathe.  “Right?”  He adds after a long moment that she spends staring at him with wide eyes.  She watches, eyes widening even more, as a tiny blush starts filling the space between his eyes and the top of his cheeks.  It gets deeper and starts spreading to his ears the longer she watches, amazed at the way his nose scrunches when he frowns at her in confusion as she continues not talking.  “Or not,” he growls.

Her words suddenly start working again as he turns to leave, scowl securely in place.

“No!”  Kyoutani pauses and glances back over his shoulder at her outburst.  “I mean.  Yes.  I am.  Karasuno’s manager.  Yachi Hitoka.”  She bows her head and glances up through her bangs as he slowly turns back to face her.

“Kyoutani Kentarou.”

“I know.”  The flush comes back as she stands with a smile on her face.  “You’re Aoba Johsai’s ace.”  A thought occurs to her and she gasps.  “Oh!  Were you coming to the shop for something important?  I’m not keeping you from anything am I?  Oh I probably am.  I’m so sorry.”  His sudden snicker startles her.  “What?”

“You remind me of a puppy,” Kyoutani mumbles, cheeks turning bright red.  “All anxious and shi- stuff.”

“Well I don’t want to keep you from something important.  I’m sure you have lots of important things to do being the ace and all.  And a third year!  Oh I’m sorry for disturbing you!”

“I was just getting a snack.  And getting away from my captain for a bit,” he mutters as almost an afterthought.  The pout on his face reminds her of the one Tanaka had on his after the scolding he had gotten from Ennoshita that morning and she can’t help the giggle that slips from her.  The startled look on his face makes her giggle harder for some reason.

“That’s what I’m here for too.  Snacks for my team.”

–

Watari crashes into Yahaba’s back when his captain stops dead in the center of the court when he spots Karasuno’s tiny manager giggling behind her palm and Kyoutani grumbling about something as they walk into the gym together an hour later.  Kyoutani sets an armload of bags from the store down near Karasuno’s bench and  says something that Yahaba can’t make out but it makes Karasuno’s manager start laughing.

“Shinji?”

“Yeah?”

“Am I asleep?”

“No.”

“Then what’s going on?”  He shakes his head and blinks hard.   “Wait.  Is Kyoutani blushing?” 

Watari shrugs.  “Uh, group hallucination maybe?”


	26. AoAsa

He stares at the calendar on the wall, rereads the neat writing in the corner of this weekend’s box for probably at least the fiftieth time today, and sighs.

“I shouldn’t.  It would be weird to go right?  To just show up like that?”  He nervously pulls out his bun and reties his hair right back up into a bun, fingers moving with well practiced ease as he continues to eye the calendar almost warily.  “It’s been years and it would just be awkward.”

Strong arms hook around his waist and draw him back into a broad chest.  It’s not often in his life that he’s ever been small but when Aone wraps his arms around him and presses them together he feels tiny.  Secure and protected.

“Hinata and the others would be excited to see you.”

That voice, quiet in his ear, mesmerizes him.  Words carefully chosen, never wasted in anger or frustration or worry.

“You really think so?”  

Going would really be fun, he knows in the back of his mind that it would be nice.  Noya and the other second years - because they will always be the second years in his mind just as Hinata and the others will forever be his first years - will most likely be there.  He knows that Daichi and Suga were planning on going.  It’s just that no one would know he’s coming to the game and that part of him that hates being so tall and rough looking and quiet and scary worries that he’ll see a look of disappointment when he shows up for the game.  That his first years are all grown up and Hinata won’t bounce with excitement and wave at him with that smile on his face and that Noya won’t charge at him for a tackle hug that never actually makes him fall over, not for Noya’s lack of effort, and that Suga won’t give him a knowing smile and jab his fingers into Asahi’s side for not calling or texting him for so long.

“They’d _all_ be happy to see you. I promise.”  Aone’s chin settles comfortably on his shoulder as they both contemplate the tiny box on the calendar.  “If you want, we could go together?”

There they are.  Those carefully chosen words that ease all the tension in his chest and unravel the knots of insecurity into frayed threads.  Because Asahi has found that with Aone at his side, or pressed against his back with his arms tight around Asahi’s waist, he feels like he can pretty much take on the world.


	27. BokuTeru

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> prompt: In the prompts post I read this one “i’m sorry i ended up falling for you” as "im sorry i ended up falling ON you" lmao and I thought it would be nice prompt for Terushima x Bokuto, whatever is their ship name.. TeruBoku? BokuTeru?? There's literally nothing for this ship, could you maybe write something for them?

They’re a pile of muscular limbs and sweatpants with their gym bags wrapped around each other and Bokuto laughs as he tries to untangle himself from the person he’s crashed into - though if he’s honest the chest his chin is digging into is actually pretty comfortable and the fingers squeezing his hip and his bicep feel pretty nice.

“You know,” the guy under him laughs and Bokuto’s glad he’s already on the ground because that laugh does funny things to his knees.  “If you wanted my attention you could have just asked my name.”

“Where’s the fun in that?”  Bokuto’s trying to untangle the strap of his bag from the other guy’s bag which isn’t easy since the guy doesn’t seem to be in a hurry to help even though they’re totally in the middle of the courtyard and people are starting to stare at them.

“Ah yes.  Just exchanging names is so boring, so old-fashioned.”

Bokuto finally gets the bags untangled enough that he can push up a little and see more of the guy he landed on than just his chest.  The smirk on the guy’s face doubles the effect of the funny feelings his laugh sent through Bokuto’s body and he’s even more glad they’re already on the ground.

“Well, you know, I figured why simply fall for you when I can fall on you?”

That… sounded so much smoother in his head and Bokuto feels his face flush in embarrassment.  It flushes even deeper when that smirk turns a little softer and the look in his eyes somehow turns almost fond.  How someone who met Bokuto only moments ago when they literally crashed into each other can look at him fondly he has no idea.  But it’s there.

“Maybe I’ll get lucky and you’ll wind up doing both.”

Eventually they get untangled and it might just be Bokuto’s imagination but he’s pretty sure it takes longer than it needed to and the guy really didn’t help so much as he took the chance to grab a feel or three of Bokuto’s biceps and forearms as they worked to pull apart.

“By the way,” the guys says as he lets Bokuto pull him to his feet, “my name’s Terushima.  So you, you know, at least know who you fell for.  And on,” he adds with a wink.


	28. KuroTeru

Kuroo doesn’t even pause in his motions as the door to his apartment opens.  If Terushima hadn’t run, screaming, from him because of his strange habits yet he was pretty sure this wasn’t going to break him.  He simply twists open the cellophane surrounding his candied treat, pops the sweet goodness into his mouth, and drops the tiny square into the mess surrounding him with the tiniest of crinkles as it settles on the top of the pile.

“Okay.  I’ll admit I was hoping the crinkly noises were from something a bit more R-rated.”  Kuroo simply crunches down on the candy in his mouth loudly and reaches into his nearly empty bag for another.  Terushima watches him go through three more candies without saying anything until Kuroo sticks his hand in the bag and huffs out a sigh when he comes up empty.  “You are so going to get sick if that bag was full when you started.”

“It was and I will not.  This is not my first time doing this.”

Terushima’s eyes widen.  “You mean your first time today or just in general.  Because if you’ve gone through more than one bag already today I’m going to have to… I don’t even know.  But I’ll have to do something.  Maybe pump your stomach.”

“I can’t help it.”  Kuroo snaps.  He can feel his face twisting into a pout, but he doesn’t really care.  “It’s been a _shitty_ day and these are _my_ candies.  So stuff it.”

“Whoa there.”  Terushima shoves the wrappers off the couch and pulls Kuroo into his arms with a kiss planted on his forehead.  “Never would have expected you to have such an adorable weakness.”

“Either go get me more candy or shut up and give me more cuddles.”


	29. YamaYamaYamaYama

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> things to remember about this ship: Yamamoto is the oldest (by like 10 months), Kageyama is the baby (by like a week), Yamaguchi is a little shit, Shibayama looks up to Yaku which is dangerous in itself. Also the cats and the crows each have a pair of Yamas and the crows are the taller pair.

“Prepare to be amazed!”

Taketora stares down at the charred remains of what was apparently his supper on the plate in front of him and then sneaks a glance up to his boyfriend.  Well one of his boyfriends and he’s still not sure how the hell _that_  happened, most days he leans heavily towards black magic and a curse of some kind.  Shibayama is humming happily as he sets the pan in the sink to soak - and holy shit does it needs to soak judging by the crisp blackness of the food on the plate in front of him.  He can’t bring himself to question it because Shibayama looked so happy when he slid the plate in front of him.  He looked so _proud_  at making Taketora a meal.  He tried _so hard_  and, really, Taketora can’t say no to the adorable way that Shibayama keeps glancing over his shoulder with that sweet smile and _damn it_.

He takes a deep breath - holy shit did he season it _all_  with wasabi he is so going to die this is definitely _amazing_ if nothing else - and pops a bite into his mouth.  He had forgotten what ash tasted like.  It tastes a lot like defeat.  But he crunches through it and swallows the charred disaster valiantly.  Because he is an awesome boyfriend thank you very much.  He tries his best to keep his face from turning into the shuddering cringe he wants it to.

As soon as he tentatively licks his lips, searching for whatever moisture he can without immediately guzzling the water sitting a foot away on the table, Shibayama bursts out laughing.

“I can’t believe,” he gasps out, arms wrapped around his stomach and tears already forming at the corner of his stupidly adorable eyes.  “I can’t believe you actually ate it.  Oh my god, Tora.”  He stumbles from the kitchen, giggling as Taketora runs his tongue along his teeth with a grimace and moves to toss the charred mess into the trash.  “No!  I have to take a picture first.”

It’s a good thing he adores Shibayama so much, Taketora thinks as he half listens to Shibayama giggling into the phone as he tells Inuoka how Taketora “totally took a huge bite” and “looked so constipated” and he swears if it’s the last thing he does he’ll figure out who started this whole stupid thing.  No matter how hard he tries to intimidate him and get answers Shibayama just laughs softly and shakes his head before distracting him with kisses and snuggling against his chest with a smile.

–

“I wanna be like Yaku-san!”  Yuuki grins at his declaration and nods sharply.  It’s a good goal.  Yaku-san is pretty cool and stays calm during games and is an amazing libero and he’s a great person to look up to.  Yaku-san rolls his eyes a little and sighs when he hears him but he’s also smiling fondly.

“Nah,” Yamamoto butts in and hooks his arm around Yuuki’s neck with a grin, “I don’t wanna date Yaku.”  Yaku-san frowns and growls a little at Yamamoto.

“Excuse you, Tora?  I am a delight to date.  Just ask the captain.”

Yamamoto gives Yaku-san a look and then swings around to put himself directly in front of Yuuki.

“I don’t wanna date Yaku.  I’m dating you and you’re pretty damn amazing just being yourself, okay?”

–

“You know, Kageyama-kun, when I was your age…”

“You’re only 6 days older than me please stop.”

Shibayama continues like he hadn’t even heard the interruption and Tadashi snickers a little.  He would feel bad about it but Kageyama had been kind of grouchy all day and Tadashi can see the blush of fondness starting to creep onto his face and replace the paleness of his bad mood.  Plus it’s always kind of cute to see tiny little Shibayama looking up at Kageyama with a smug smile on his lips and a confident set to his shoulders.

“Maturity obviously doesn’t come with age,” Kageyama grumbles as Shibayama finishes his story about what happened at practice last week and Tadashi can’t help but laugh at how shocked they both look at sassy words.

“Kageyama.  Have you been spending time with Tsukki again?”  Tadashi can’t help but tease.  The huff of air and pouty set of his lips is enough to make Tadashi laugh again and bump his shoulder lightly against Kageyama’s.

–

“Tora,” Kenma tilts his head but doesn’t look up from his phone.

“Kenma?”

“Why do you insist on preying on the innocent?”

Taketora whips his head around from where he totally wasn’t staring at his adorable boyfriends talking to each other on the other side of the gym and laughing and blushing.

“What?”  His voice may squeak a little but whatever.

“Such a cradle robber,” Kuroo says seriously, appearing practically out of thin air and making Taketora squeak in surprise again.

“Shut up you two,” he hisses. “Jeez.  Yamaguchi’s only nine months younger than me.  Not like we’re years and years apart or anything.”

“It wasn’t enough corrupting our baby?”  Kuroo looks at Shibayama fondly, so much like a father looking at his child that it makes Taketora shudder a little due to the creepy factor.  “You had to go after Karasuno’s baby as well?”

“Our baby,” Kenma murmurs quietly, still focused on his phone.

“Yes our baby.”  Kuroo agrees.  “The tiniest kitten.  So sweet.  So fluffy.  So pure.”

“Purely evil.”  Taketora snorts.  “He looks up to Yaku.  There’s only so much sweetness that can be contained when that much tininess looks up to that level of evil.”

“Hey that’s my evil boyfriend you’re talking about.”  Kuroo sighs dramatically as he looks over at Yaku, who looks back with a stare of confusion tinged with disgust, most likely at the over-dramatic lovey dovey look on Kuroo’s face.

–

Tobio shifts his weight from foot to foot, unsure of what to do or say or even really think right now, before settling himself on the bench.  He had barely even gotten used to the idea that he and Yamaguchi were dating and now suddenly he’s apparently dating two more people?  At the same time?  And it’s all okay with all of them.

Somehow.

He doesn’t get it.  He doesn’t get how one person, let alone three, would want to date him.  He’s awkward and likes volleyball a lot, probably too much, and he doesn’t talk to others well.  He’s barely gotten used to being able to talk to Yamaguchi without stumbling over his words and talking to Shibayama is only as easy as it is because he’s a fellow first year and Yamaguchi is usually there to help ease them through any quiet spells.

He doesn’t have the slightest clue how to deal with Yamamoto by himself.

“You know you’re pretty amazing,” Yamamoto suddenly says and Tobio whips his head around.  He’s pretty sure his eyes are like the size of saucers but he can’t help it.

“Me?”

“Yeah you.”  Yamamoto drops onto the bench next to him and lightly elbows Tobio’s side.  “A first year not only being a starter but being the starting _setter_?  And Yamaguchi’s told me a little about all the shit you’ve already gotten through since you started.  The shit you went through in middle school.”  Tobio shrinks a little at that, memories still raw and bloody under the careful bandages Karasuno’s place over them.  “It’s really something else.  I have such amazing boyfriends,” Yamamoto suddenly says.  Like he’s just realized it.  “You’re all so awesome.”

Tobio isn’t sure how to respond.  He really doesn’t think he’s that awesome most of the time.  It’s the others that are amazing and awesome and wonderful.

“You’re awesome too,” he says softly.  He can feel Yamamoto looking at him but he can’t really bring himself to look back.  He sucks so much at this, when are Yamaguchi and Shibayama coming back?

“I’ve decided.”  Tobio tenses at the note of finality in Yamamoto’s voice.  Shit he screwed something up didn’t he?  “I’ve decided you’re the most adorable boyfriend.  And the sweetest.  Yamaguchi and Shibayama are evil, but in a cute way.  You’re just downright adorable and I am the luckiest guy in the world.”


	30. The Captains - cuddle puddle

Bokuto’s pretty sure that if anyone were to look at them they wouldn’t think that Sawamura would be the one to start, well, pretty much everything that gets started between the group as a whole.  Kuroo’s the crafty one.  Oikawa’s the challenging one.  Terushima’s the playful one.  Bokuto himself is energy personified.  Ushiwaka and Futakuchi are such opposites, Ushiwaka being so reserved and calm while Futakuchi is easy going and provocative, so you also wouldn’t think that anything that interests one would appeal to the other.

But here they all are.

Heaped together in a writhing pile of limbs.

All because of Sawamura Daichi.

When Daichi had brought it up Bokuto was surprised.  Mostly because of how innocent it was.  Most of their interactions as an entire group (outside of volleyball) tend to involve less clothing and more groaning.  What probably shocked him the most was hearing the phrase “cuddle puddle” fall from Daichi’s smiling lips without Daichi even flinching at the words.

He was all for a full group cuddle session, napping included if possible.  He was just surprised when everyone else, _every single other person who lived in the house_ , started filing into the main bedroom and flopping onto the bed.

Kuroo was, unsurprisingly, the first one to join Bokuto on the bed.

“So ‘cuddle puddle’ huh?”

“I know,” Bokuto snorted as Kuroo nuzzled against Bokuto’s throat and made himself comfortable.  “It surprised me too.”

“Who the fuck says ‘cuddle puddle’ anyway?”

“Apparently Sawamura does.”  Ushiwaka said from the doorway as he eyed the bed.  “Where would be the best place for me to be?”  Bokuto pulled himself up just a little and surveyed the area around them - they had pushed two king sized beds together to accommodate them as well as possible when they had all moved in - but before he could answer Oikawa’s voice floated in from the hallway.

“A different room, perhaps?”  He huffed.  “Out of my way so I can reach the bed.”

“Oikawa,” Kuroo chided, nose still pressed against Bokuto’s throat.  “Play nice.”  Then he rolled them over so Bokuto’s back was facing the doorway.  “Ushijima should be in the middle since he’s the biggest of us all.”  Oikawa snickered from the doorway before sliding past Ushiwaka and delicately elbowing his way in between Kuroo and Bokuto until he was the one nuzzling against Bokuto’s throat and Kuroo just sighed at the move.

As soon as Ushiwaka settled himself across the center of the mattresses Kuroo clambered over them and draped himself across Ushiwaka’s chest with a content hum when an arm wrapped around his waist and secured him down.

“Traitor,” Oikawa mumbled, but it was lost against the skin of Bokuto’s throat and he laughed at the tickling sensation.

“Oh yes!  Cuddles.  I am here for this.”  Terushima’s eyes lit up as soon as he spotted them already in bed and he wasted no time in pulling off his sweatshirt and dropping onto the bed on the opposite side of Ushiwaka and curling his back against Ushiwaka’s side.  A few minutes later Futakuchi and Daichi joined them and after some grumbles and grunts and elbows to ribs they finally situate themselves comfortably.

And here they are now.

Futakichi is on the outiside, half sprawled on Daichi who has Oikawa curled between himself and Bokuto.  Bokuto is pressed against Ushiwaka’s side with one of Kuroo’s hands tangled in his shirt.  Kuroo is lying mostly on Ushiwaka and Terushima, who has his back pressed against Ushiwaka’s side and Kuroo’s other hand tangled in _his_  shirt.

It’s a giant mess of limbs and body heat and Bokuto is glad he was only wearing a thin shirt and shorts to begin with.  Ushiwaka is probably melting under all that heat but he doesn’t seem to be inclined to complain about it.  In fact Bokuto’s pretty sure he lets out a content hum when Kuroo shifts and settles himself even more fully over Ushiwaka’s chest.

Bokuto’s actually about to doze off when Kuroo’s muffled voice reaches him.

“Seriously, Daichi?  ‘Cuddle puddle’?”

“Hey,” Daichi says immediately, “it worked.”

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to yell at me on [Tumblr](http://ezzydean.tumblr.com) about rare ships (or any ships or anything really)


End file.
